Welcome To The OASIS Nightcrawler
by J.A.W.C
Summary: The OASIS, that’s where everyone was. If he wanted friends, fame, anything, he could find it there. Without the fear of being called a demon. Kurt enters the OASIS, his name there; Nightcrawler. But he is to learn that the OASIS has its own share of dangers, and a different type of fear. See first chapter for info regarding setting/characters
1. chapter 1

**Please note;**

-AU

X-men/Mutants do not exist (excluding nightcrawler)

Set in the Ready Player One Universe

 **There may be elements from the book added**

\- Nightcrawler

Will not be part of the x-men

He will have his standard powers, though some aspects may be changed slightly

He may be slightly OOC

He will have an increased lifespan

His backstory is going to be a mishmash of canon and non canon, but I will try my best to make it work.

Anyway- enjoy this little fic- note that I don't currently have a plan

Enjoy?

 **Kurt**

It was weird at first, disconcerting.

His eyes stung at first as they adjusted to the closeness of the screen.

It was chipped and worn, as were the gloves and the rest of the gear, but they were all he could obtain without being spotted. He had risked a lot to get them, having more than a few close calls with the IOI drones in the process. Not to mention having to oversee how the gloves were made from numerous shadowed corners so he could refit his own pair.

But it was so, so worth it.

As the device scanned his face he held his breath, hoping the fur on his face wouldn't hinder it.

As soon as the visor was on, he was greeted with text.

 _Welcome to the OASIS_

 _Please enter a screen name;_

Holding his breath he held his arm out in front, and tapped the glowing line.

A keypad, reminiscent of the older computers before the disasters.

He took a calming breath, and typed;

 _N1ghtcrawl3r_

Biting his cheek, he frowned at it, erased it, and typed again.

 _Nightcrawler_

Perhaps it was foolish, but nostalgia prevented him from changing the name he had been given in the circus.

That had been some decades ago now.

He pressed the enter button.

 _Welcome to the OASIS, Nightcrawler_

 _Please create your avatar_

The text swirled out of existence, and in its place stood what looked like a mannequin, with his facial structure.

Unsure, he stepped towards it, quietly noting how the makeshift treadmill he had built did its job.

Reaching out, he pressed his hand against it, and felt it.

A little button hovered beside it, with the words 'change features' written on it in blocky lettering.

He pressed it, and a table came up, blocked by a piece of text;

 _Oasis user, please note that while all options are available now, after initial creation the remainder will be locked until purchased._

 _Happy creating!_

The text bubble disappeared.

And he was faced with a choice;

Most humans hated being so, they would chose to be anything but, if he wanted to blend in, he should chose something non-human.

Or, at least here, he could see what it would be like.

To be human.

To be _normal_.

The word tasted sweet on his tongue, and then it turned bitter once he remembered the appearance would only be an illusion.

After a moment of thought, his eyes brightened, he could make his avatar look like himself,

And no one would look at him any differently.

The thought made him feel giddy, and he set about his task.

Creating himself.

He never noticed how complicated he appeared until then.

To find the right feet, the right hands and the right tail, not to mention fur and eyes.

By the end, he was exhausted, wearily scrolling through the items of clothing. Here he let himself indulge, settling on a loose white shirt, leather jacket and pants, and a small gold hoop in one ear as a momento of the gypsys who had raised him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of scrolling, he found a small cross to have his avatar wear.

He clicked finish, and as soon as the world around him loaded, he removed the visor and gear and curled up in the corner of the room where his sorry excuse of a bed was.

Tomorrow, he would explore, tomorrow he would understand the OASIS,

Tomorrow, he wouldn't have to be alone.

Review- but no flames please

Hope you liked the first chapter :D


	2. Chaper 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the properties used in this story**

 **Forgot to say that this will be taking place probably before the events of Ready Player One and I am making some stuff up to fill in any gaps left by the novel/movie- including a few OC's (if they could be called that) for some interactions.**

 **Enjoy?**

 **Also- I apologise in advance for my butchering of Kurt's accent**

 **H**

Newcomers in the OASIS were young, the youngest being anywhere from 5-6 years of age, and though you couldn't know exactly, their mannerisms and height, the latter being decided upon by parent still wanting to be in charge, gave them away.

Which is why this newcomer stood out. He had appeared for only a moment before logging out again, but the glowing name tag above his head, something only newcomers had for the first 24 hours of game time, caught H's eye as she had walked past.

 _Nightcrawler_

She wasn't one to poke her nose into other people's business, she preferred not to. She had better things to worry about, like running over as many Sixers as possible during the upcoming race.

But she was curious, and had a few minutes to spare, so bringing up a screen she typed in the name.

 _Nightcrawler_

 _Joined the OASIS 3 hours ago_

 _ **Last entry:** 5 minutes ago_

 _ **Employment:**_

 _ **Achievements:**_

 _ **Titles:**_

A small replica of his avatar appeared below.

She pulled up another screen to contact Parzival.

"Hey man where are you? Race is starting soon and it's the last one for today" Parzival was already on the track, as per usual it seemed he had chosen to start at the back where he could scrounge some coins.

"On my way" she replied, "check out this dude though" she said as she sent him the link to the file.

"What about him" he responded after flicking through the file, "I mean he has a cool avatar and all but what about him?"

"Isn't it weird that he's just joined the OASIS?"

Parizval raised an eyebrow,

"I mean, he could've just been some kid with chill parents"

"What kid choses to look like that?" H responded, "they choose extremes, either huge monster things or princesses, not refined and thought out avatars"

"You're looking into this way too much man" Parizval laughed, shaking his head, "see you on the track"

The call ended.

"Sure, looking into it way too much, says the guy who analyses every part of the Halliday journals" H huffed, before starting a light jog in the direction of the portal needed to take him to the racetrack.

 **Kurt**

With a yawn he blearily opened his eyes. It was early morning, the light just starting to seep through the slats on his window.

His home consisted of a single room, in one corner a small fridge stood humming, next to it a small hot plate held together with duct tape. He even had a small balcony, which he had covered with potted plants and veggies, allowing him to grow most of his food.

Of course he never went out onto it during the day, never left the room during the day if he could help it. Night was when he ventured out, stealing what he couldn't afford or make himself, stretching his legs by running across the tops of the stacks.

It was dangerous, but less so than if he did it in daylight.

Unfurling from his sleeping position he stretched. After a handstand and a backflip he felt as if the blood was starting to reach his sleep addled brain, and set about making himself a sizeable breakfast.

Of course, it was sizeable for a normal persons breakfast, even before the catastrophes, but to his heightened metabolism it wasn't enough.

He couldn't afford more though, couldn't get more, unless he was willing to risk going outside.

Hell would freeze over before that happened, and he had another task to complete.

Exploring the OASIS.

Pulling on the gloves, he tested the makeshift treadmill, and entered.

He blinked a few times, despite the early hour hundreds still milled around what could only be described as the centre of the OASIS.

He took a few steps forward, the situation feeling utterly surreal.

No one paid him attention, in fact he was hardly the weirdest looking biped in the area. The though made him giddy.

He spent hours wandering, going no where, reveling in the fact he was walking around _people_ and that not one of the turned to him and screamed.

He wasn't looking where he was going, too in awe of his surroundings, so it wasn't a surprise when he bumped into the side of another person.

"Watch where you're going pipsqueak" the avatar growled, he had the face of a goblin with broad shoulders and armoured head to toe, a battle axe glinting menacingly at his hip.

"I apologise mein friend, I vas-" he began saying,

"Listen to this guy, what the hell are you saying?" The goblin turned to his friends as he spoke, and they jeered in response.

"If you honeztly cannot underztand mein accent, I zink you may vantto get your hearing checked" Kurt answered, he had nothing to loose if his avatar was destroyed, and despite the track of the conversation part of him was incredibly excited at the fact he was talking to someone.

"What the hell did you just say to me" the goblin growled at him, unhooking his axe from his belt.

A warning bubble popped up in front of him;

 _Oasis used Murd3r3r_0f_M0rtals this is a non PvP zone, breaching this rule will result in a 24 hour suspension_

The goblin, Murd3r3r, spat in the direction of the warning as it disappeared.

"Watch your back..." his eyes glanced up to the name tag, which had begun to fade slightly, "Nightcrawler, because as soon as you go out there, your blue furry hides _mine"_

As soon as Murd3r3r stalked off, Kurt began laughing, so much so that tears streamed out of his eyes in the real world.

Sure regular people could have such bravado, but when they met him it was usually replaced with stone cold fear.

Murd3r3r hadn't been scared.

Regaining composure, he turned to walk in another direction, only to be confronted with two avatars.

One was tall and muscled, with a strange robotic midsection and arm, and a nose pressed flat against the pink purple skin of their face. The second was shorter, and practically human if one looked past the white skin and hair, and the blue lines which decorated his arms and face.

"Dude, you've got guts" the shorter one said, "my buddy here, H" he gestured to the one beside him, "saw you when you joined yesterday, and got curious"

The taller one, H, waved at him, and a slightly confused Kurt waved back.

"I'm Parizval"

"Vell it'z nice to meet you" he grinned, "and all I did vas talk"

Both of them laughed at the response,

"Bro you've barely been here for an hour and already made yourself an enemy" H grinned, "I'm impressed"

Kurt shrugged, "it doezn't explain vhy you vere curiouz az to my appearance in ze OASIS"

"Because people join when they're kids" H replied, "and you don't talk like a kid"

"I guess I never got around to it" Kurt shrugged, "care to show me how zings vork here?"

Parizval looked at his wrist, a small screen popped up.

"Have to show you another time, the race is coming up" he grinned,

Kurt titled his head,

"Vhat race?"

 **And there you have it- second chapter**

 **Any tips on Kurt's accent are appreciated!**

 **Review if you wish- but please don't flame, I'm not fire resistant**


	3. Chapter 3

**How's everyone going?**

 **Here's the next chapter!**

 **Thought will be written** _in italics_

 **Once again- sorry about butchering Kurt's accent!**

 **Parzival**

Honestly he was somewhat shocked when Nightcrawler asked about the race. He had been under the impression that everyone knew about the hunt, but it apparently wasn't so.

 _Perhaps H's curiosity was warranted_ he mused before answering Nightcrawler.

After a brief description, the demonic looking avatar nodded in understanding, right as a reminder flickered in the corner of his vision about the race.

"We have to go, race is starting any minute now" he said, Nightcrawler seemed a little sad at the fact they'd be leaving.

"If you have nothing do to we could meet here in the afternoon" H suggested, "show you around and tell you more about the hunt"

"Zounds good mein freund, see you zen ja?" Nightcrawler answered happily, before disappearing in a cloud of pixels as he exited the OASIS.

He turned to H, who was giving him a pointed look.

"Okay so maybe you were right to be curious" he stated, before looking at the place where Nightcrawler had been.

 _How could someone have never heard of the hunt?_ He thought as they began walking,

 _How could someone know next to nothing about the OASIS?_

 **Kurt**

He blinked a few time as his pupiless eyes adjusted to the darkness of his home. He had hours to kill before the afternoon and even more before it was dark enough for him to risk venturing out.

He paced the room slightly, before deciding upon what to do.

Shifting the fridge slightly he loosened a small panel that was hidden behind it.

Over the years, he had kept few permanent possessions, his cross being one, a small journal littered with photos and sketches of his 'adventures' as he liked to think of them as, and his swords.

They were the most valuable thing he owned, they were almost as old as he was, and had yet to let him down.

He hadn't used them in combat in a long time, hadn't needed to, but he still practised with them all the same lest a day come where he needed the skill.

 _Perhaps I could find myself a pair of swords in the OASIS,_ he thought, _maybe a dagger as well if I'm lucky_

Of course, acquiring them would required money, and as he continued to spar with an invisible opponent he made not to ask H and Parzival when he saw them.

It was strange that he had already begun to see them as friends, even if their interaction with him was driven only by curiosity.

Speaking of, he himself had become interested in the hunt for Halliday's Easter egg which they had told him of.

It seemed strange, even to him, to decide something so significant on the outcome of what was essentially a game.

The swords glided through the air, guided by a cautious hand so they did not do any damage to the surrounding objects.

Except it didn't seem to be a game to Parzival, nor to H, in fact it seemed like everyone considered the OASIS to be anything but a game.

People spent hours on it, which he knew only from the times he had almost been caught, only to find it was someone wandering around with a visor on, inside the OASIS and disregarding everything else.

He sat on his bed and looked carefully at the blade, he was sure it was real.

The OASIS had felt real too.

He shook his head, and returned the weapons to their hidden compartment, now was not the time for philosophical ramblings.

Once upon a time, he may have thought over the question, pondered it for days when he knew he was safe, unfortunately those days became few and far between as the world collapsed.

Philosophy was a luxury he couldn't spend time on now.

Peeking out of the window, he saw the sun had begun its descent.

He made a meal for himself, using the remainder of whatever was in this fridge, and after cleaning up, he entered the OASIS.

 **H**

As per usual, no one had finished the race, King Kong had made sure of that.

Damn she hated that overgrown gorilla, and it had looked like Parzival was going to make it too.

There were two more races that day, neither of which many people could attend due to either work or school. Those races were filled with Sixers, as in you were lucky if there was another player who wasn't with IOI.

She hadn't been bothered with either, instead going to Planet Doom for the majority of the day. Parzival, on the other hand, had gone to both.

He managed to score enough coins to splurge on a couple of upgrades to his car, as well as a new hairdo which, in her opinion, looked completely ridiculous.

They returned to the central area to find Nightcrawler happily waiting for them.

"How vas ze race?" He grinned,

"As per usual, no one passed" Parzival sighed, "it's impossible"

"Cheer up, zere is always next time ja?"

"Yeah, still we maybe would've had a better chance if all the Sixers weren't crashing" She spat, with a glance to Nightcrawler's face, she realised he had no idea who she was talking about.

"Who are zey?"

"IOI's minions, all of them trying to win the OASIS for the damn company" Parzival answered, "they even have a bunch of Halliday experts on hand to try figure out how to win"

"Zeems unfair" Nightcrawler stated, a dislike already seeping into his voice, "didn't know zey vere in ze OASIS"

"You've seen them around in the real world?" She asked, they had begun walking to a row of portals.

"Only ze drones, but zey are easy enough to avoid" Nightcrawler said offhandedly, "not very manoeuvrable"

"Why avoid them?" Parzival asked, "Did you get on IOI's bad side?" Neither of them could afford to get on IOI's bad side, because despite their hate for he company they were the ones who provided them with the tech to access the OASIS.

Nightcrawler chuckled, "Nein, it is just a game I play when I have ze time"

Both of them relaxed, but she made note to keep an eye on their new 'friend'.

 **Kurt**

As Parzival and H taught him how to use the portals and how to earn coins he silently berated himself.

He would have to watch his tongue, and remember that they were still strangers.

After an agreement to meet the next day, he exited the OASIS.

It was well and truly night, so pulling on the darkest clothes he owned, he ventured out on to the balcony,

And jumped across onto the neighbouring stack, before beginning his ascent.

 **And there we go, another chapter**

 **Review, but no flames, we don't want to cause a bushfire**


	4. Chapter 4

**Lol there's probably no one reading this apart from my one friend who I asked *cough* forced *cough* to read it. (Hi friend!)**

 **Anyway here's the next chapter because I have nothing else do to (apart from holiday homework...but that can wait)**

 **And as per usual- I apologise about butchering elf's accent**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Kurt**

The wind was cold despite it being spring, and though it didn't affect him much thanks to his fur, it was still unpleasant. With practised ease he darted over the mismatched roofs and balconies, careful to avoid those not inside the OASIS.

It was almost comical really, people of various ages and ethnicities acting like mimes unaware that mere meters from them he darted by.

The market, which had a few people still milling about, despite the late hour, was his destination.

When spent roughly half an hour there, pinching groceries from either the customers or the stalls themselves, all the while keeping an eye out for the IOI drones.

No need for them to see what he was up to.

After a decent haul, and numerous muttered prayers of apology, he headed home.

By the time he had finished watering the plants and putting away his spoils light had begun to claw its way over the horizon.

For a calming moment, he let the sunlight flood is small room, and then cringed once he saw the amount of dust in the room.

Before long he heard and saw people begin exiting their homes, and he hurriedly slammed the doors and windows shut.

After making himself a meal, he decided to sleep for a few hours.

It wouldn't do him well to go into the OASIS without all his wits about him.

 **Parzival**

Nightcrawler entered the OASIS a few minutes after he and H turned up to what had become their meeting place.

"Hey Nightcrawler" H said, and the avatar in question raised his hand in greeting.

Parzival glanced at his friend, H seemed to be up to something if the tone of his voice was anything to go by.

"You know, if you're going to be in the OASIS, you're gonna need some coins" H grinned, "and the best place to pick up coins..."

He silently pleaded that H wouldn't say Planet Doom,

"...is Planet Doom"

 _Damnit_

"Zounds hospitable" Nightcrawler replied, "and not ze sort of place I vould go unarmed to"

That was apparently exactly what H wanted to hear, he could practically see the excitement dancing in his friends eyes.

No doubt he was looking for an excuse to visit the planet which in all seriousness was basically a giant shopping centre.

Parzival, in all honesty, hated going there, everything was incredibly overpriced.

Half of what could he bought on that planet could be found elsewhere for half the price, you might just have to compete with a few other players to get to it.

H on the other hand, adored going there, his work meant he had far deeper pockets than Parzival.

Some days he really did envy H.

 **H**

While Nightcrawler was in something like awe, Parzival looked down right uncomfortable.

She did feel guilty, dragging her friend along, but she'd been itching to come back to buy some upgrades.

She lead both her friends westwards, towards what was in essence a town of weapons masters.

Everything was grittier looking once you stepped into that area, part of the aesthetic she reasoned.

While Parzival still looked out of place, Nightcrawler was gaping openly, apparently not giving a shit about the people who had begun laughing at his reaction.

On the left side of the massive area were the more traditional weapons, on the right were futuristic, dotted in between the two were guns and allow ranging from the First World War to the present.

"Zis iz amazing and all, but in case you forgot I'm still very much broke" Nightcrawler stated, practically flinching when he saw the price on some of the weapons they passed by.

"Welcome to the club" Parzival muttered, glancing almost longlinly at a sleek gun that looked far deadlier than it probably was.

"Being the really nice guy I am" she grinned, "I'm gonna but you a weapon or two, of your choosing".

She always felt she could tell a lot about a person depending on what they chose, and in all honesty, she had some money to burn.

"Nein I couldn't do zat!" Nightcrawler responded, as if shocked she would even consider it.

 _Can't say I was expecting that_ she thought, even Parzival let her buy him weapons, or at least fuel, when times got really tough.

"If you feel that bad about it you can always pay her back once you earn some coins" Parzival suggested, "and I can assure you H isn't like IOI when it comes to repaying debts"

Nightcrawler chuckled, and after a few moments thought, agreed.

"Now here's the real question blue boy" she said in mock seriousness, "what weapon will you choose?"

 **Kurt**

H seemed fixated on getting him some sort of axe or hammer,

"Like that arcade game" had been his reasoning, "just whack whack whack, no skill needed!"

Parzival on the other hand,seemed more intent on getting him to choose a firearm.

Specifically the one he had stared at longingly beforehand.

He burst out laughing when he saw their reaction once he said he would prefer a sword or dagger.

"Dude you have to know how to use it" H told him as they walked towards a small shop which seemed practically built out of blades.

"H has a point, they look cool and all but unless you've got one that can go through standard armour you're gonna need to actually arm for the gaps in said armour" Parzival added, "If you want coins fast a sword isn't the way to go"

"Trust me mein friends, I know what I'm doing" he replied, "I've dabbled in swordfighting and fencing in ze real vorld"

Neither looked like they believed him.

After a bit of 'browsing', if it could be called that, he settled on two swords which came as a pair. They weren't particularly pretty, but they were functional enough, cheaper than the others, and after Parzival showed him how to access their 'stats', he found them to be satisfactory in damage and durability.

With the purchased made, H demonstrated how to add them to his inventory and how to access them, and they began their trek back to the portal.

Parzival was intending on entering one of the races running that day, he and H, however, had a different destination.

Planet Doom.

 **And that's chapter 4 done and dusted, I don't think I need to tell you what'll happen in the next chapter.**

 **See you next time folks!**

 ***cricket noises***

... **as I said, see you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**And we are back with chapter 5**

 **H**

Planet doom had become almost a second home to hear, she found comfort in the lack of regulations. In most areas of the OASIS there were at least some rules, for example if it was a PvP area the type of weapons allowed was one, to keep some semblance of order and fairness.

Planet Doom was unique in that it didn't have them, it was quite literally a free for all.

Unless your avatar got destroyed, then it cost you quite a lot.

A small price to pay for a bit of anarchy she reasoned.

With practised ease she decimated her opponents, sneaking a few glances at Nightcrawler when she could.

It turned out that he had grossly undersold his abilities, and what she saw now was a testament to that.

With almost inhuman gracefulness he danced the blades through any avatar foolish enough to try take him on. Dodging surrounding gunfire and practically skipping across the black rocky ground as he did so, all the while sporting a grin the seemed ready to split his face in two.

Being busy with watching her friend as well as keeping her own hide safe, she almost didn't notice the figure stalking towards Nightcrawler.

"Self proclaimed enemy heading your way Blue Boy!" She shouted over the din of the battle.

Nightcrawler turned just as Murd3r3r's axe came swinging down.

 **Kurt**

His first reaction to the planet had been a number of quiet exclamations in German.

His second reaction, or rather realisation, was that he could fight and aim for the 'kill' without hurting anyone.

After that everything had melted into a blur.

The fast paced arena of a planet left no time for calculated thought or banter, instead he fell back on muscle memory and instinct.

Despite the years since combat he remembered every trick in the book, and the fact he was facing against essentially untrained civilians made the entire expedition strangely relaxing, in an adrenaline pumping way.

He could practically smell the gunpowder, taste it on his tongue as each avatar fell, even though in reality all he could smell was the dusty air of his apartment.

He heard H yell something at him, but he couldn't discern what was being said over the sound of the battle.

He turned just in time to see Murd3r3r's axe swinging towards him, the hulking figure behind it sporting a maniac grin.

He did what anyone in that situation would do.

Correction;

What anyone with his powers would do.

He teleported.

 _Idiot_ he thought in that split second he was traveling

 _You absolute idiot_

 **H**

She didn't know what had happened, she thought he'd been destroyed. But the coins he had collected thus far weren't anywhere, in fact he didn't even disintergrate.

It was as if his visor had just, lost connection.

Which should have been impossible.

Nightcrawler reappeared a mètre above Murd3r3r's head, in the same fashion that he had disappeared.

And buried the blade deep into his opponents neck.

Of course, it wasn't a gory death, Murd3r3r had simply dissolved into coins which were happily collected by Nightcrawler before he continued the fight.

However, what had happened unnerved her.

What she would have written off as a loss of connection, despite how unlikely and impossible that was, instead revealed itself to be something far different.

Nightcrawler had _used_ the disappearing act during the fight, and with a practised ease.

She got his attention and gave him the signal that they should head back to central.

They fought their way back to the portal quickly, not that many tried stop either of them.

She had a reputation, and if she was leaving it meant one less heavyweight on the field.

Nightcrawler it seemed had already begun making his own reputation, and the only ones that attacked him seemed to be those who hadn't seen him fighting before.

Nightcrawler was practically skipping once they returned to central, the swords which he had hung at his hips rather than returning to his inventory making it almost comical.

Before she could get a word in he had already sent her the amount of coins she had purchased the sword for.

"Thanks" she said, forcing a grin, "but I'd much rather you tell me what the hell hap-" the demonic avatar shot her a look.

"I vill explain, but not here" his pupiless eyes seemed to dart around, sending a few pointed looks towards some passing Sixers, "not now"

The serious look on his face left as quickly as it had arrived.

"Zee you tomorrow ja?" He grinned, before dissolving into pixels.

As soon as she was sure he wasn't coming back, she called Parzival.

"Dude, we need to talk, pronto"

 **Kurt**

 _Idiot idiot idiot_

He berated himself,

 _You're lucky you didn't 'port yourself out the window_

Sighing, he peeked out the window.

He still had a bit before he could go outside.

Not even bothering to prepare some food, he collapsed onto his bed.

He couldn't help the grin that creeped onto his face as he thought about the day.

 _Now if only the Planet was real_

 **And there we go, not as long (I think) and not as much dialogue but hopefully ok**

 **See y'all next time**


	6. Chapter 6

**Never fear!**

 **Chapter 6 is here!**

 **(In other words hello friend if you're still reading this :D)**

 **This chapter has a more serious tone? To it (at least for the first part) so slight angst/night mare ahead (yes I know, this is humour and adventure, but every good story needs a bit)**

 **If you don't want to read a nightmareish dream that could be slightly disturbing, feel free to skip the paragraph of text**

 _Written like this_

 **With that out of the way- onwards!**

 **Kurt**

His usual routine was over far too quickly for his liking, and he was back to the confines of his home before he realised it.

He knew he should sleep, but his time on Planet Doom had woken up some of his old habits.

Such as figeting.

When he had been younger sitting still for any period of time seemed impossible, unless of course he was perched in a tree or hidden in some shadows waiting for someone to walk by.

Over the years he had learnt to curb he instinct, and he thought himself over it now.

The fact he was currently pacing the ceiling was proof that old habits die hard.

Eventually, he forced himself to at least rest, though he found himself staring at the window for most of the night, itching to jump out and run.

Even so, his eyes began to close, and he was lost to the world.

 _The world around him felt foggy and grey, and he struggled to discern any solid objects._

 _"Hey Nightcrawler!" Parzival appeared from the fog, "Hey Nightcrawler!" He repeated, a wide grin stretched its way across his face till it split it in half. Kurt stumbled back disgusted as pixelated blood poured into the room, staining the fog grey._

 _He shut his eyes, and when he opened them he was on top of the stacks, except these weren't the homes that he knew._

 _Everything was tinged red, and spotlights swept back and forth_

 _"Introducing the incredible Nightcrawler" a voice from nowhere boomed, a cheer from an invisible crowd started booming as the stacks began crumbling into pixels and coins._

 _On one of the furthest stacks he saw H, unsteadily balancing on the top of it before it too crumbled._

 _"H!" He yelled, teleporting to his friend._

 _The stacks disappeared and he found himself in an old fashioned village, surrounded by angry citizens who despite their old fashioned clothes wore IOI visors._

 _"Monster!" One of them screamed as they pushed towards him, "Kill him"_

 _At the back of the crowd, just before they overwhelmed him, he caught a glimpse of H and Parzival._

 _Both being burnt by Sixers._

He woke early, quickly going about his morning routine in order to re-enter the OASIS as soon as possible, prove to himself that H and Parzival were okay.

He on the visor and gloves, and went in search of his friends, the nightmare still dancing it's way across him mind.

 **Parzival**

H had told him about what had transpired on Planet Doom, and had he not shown him the recording he wouldn't have believed it.

H had a habit of recording his trips to Planet Doom, and though he saw it as relatively pointless he was glad his friend had kept the habit up.

Nightcrawler looked like he was going to be sliced in half when he simply disappeared, before reappeared barely a second later.

With curiosity eating away at them both, they made their way to central.

Nightcrawler was there, but the usual grin he had on was gone, and instead he was slouched, drained looking.

In that moment he looked twice their ages, and for the first time he wondered exactly how old their friend was.

"Hey Nightcrawler" he called out, and the avatar practically jumped.

Once he caught sight of them, he seemed relieved beyond measure, and the familiar grin returned to his face.

Even though it looked slightly strained.

"I think it's explanation time Blue" H said, "I have somewhere we can go if you're paranoid about being overheard"

"Ja okay" Nightcrawler nodded,

"And we expect a good explanation" he added, "because something tells me we're going to miss the races today" to that H rolled his eyes, and Nightcrawler chuckled weakly.

"I vill give you as good of an explanation az I can" Nightcrawler assured.

 **Kurt**

 _You might just not believe it_

He added silently as they walked.

If he told them about the teleporting he would have the chance to either tell them the whole truth, or keep it secret.

Then again, didn't he come to the OASIS not to explain what he looked like? He was under no obligation to give them an accurate picture of what he appeared to be in the real world.

After all he doubted H and Parzival looked as hey did outside of the OASIS.

H reached into his pocket and brought out a control, and pressing one of the buttons a portal appeared.

"After you" H sarcastically said to Parzival, gesturing towards the portal,

"No no no after you!" Parzival replies in equal humour.

He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at their antics, the ease at which they spoke to eachother hinted that this was a common occurrence.

Eventually Parzival went first, he followed and H last.

What they entered was a decent sized room, the red walls making him flinch slightly, but apart from that the atmosphere seemed relaxed.

"H bought this place a while ago" Parzival explained, throwing himself onto a couch laden with blankets, "and because of my esteemed status as H's best friend, I get to come here all the time"

"Yeah I'm starting to regret that" H grunted using a foot to tip the couch over and send Parzival faceplanting onto the carpet.

"I can't imagine vhy" he stated, earning him a light kick to the shin by the avatar in question.

Rightening the couch, H sat, and Parzival shifted so he could lean up against the side of the couch as well.

With a sigh, he sat down on the floor across from them.

"Zo I guess you vant ansvers?" He asked, already knowing the response he would get.

Both nodded.

"Zen get comfortable" he smiled weakly, "Ve may be here for a bit"

So he told them, about being chased after being caught stealing, being caught in a fire, learning he could teleport, his time in the circus, traveling.

He told them an abridged version of his life.

And by the end he felt like a dirty liar for not telling them the whole truth, changing the story to as not reveal his appearance.

He silently prayed that when, if, they ever found out, they would forgive him.

"That's impossible" Parzival said, waving his arms and one wacking into H's leg, "inside the OASIS sure but anywhere else" he shook his head.

"Zen how else vould you explain it?" He retorted,

"...let me get back to you on that" Parzival eventually answered, and H barked out a laugh.

"Let just hope the Sixers don't get wind of this" H eventually said, taking on a serious tone, "You really don't want IOI tailing you"

"Now zat mein friend" he laughed dryly,

"iz the understatement of ze century"

 **And that is chapter six over and done with, a bit filler-ish but oh well**

 **The plot thickens guess?**

 **Anyway, see y'all next time**


	7. Chapter 7

**Anonymous reviews have been turned off due to a bot spamming the comments -_- the joy**

 **Also sorry about the long pause between updates- school and such has been taking precedence but holidays are coming up so I'll hopefully be able to finish this soon :)**

 **Anyways on with the story!**

 **Kurt**

They'd taken the news well, even though it wasn't the whole truth.

Of course he couldn't dwell on that now, when you were hanging from the side of a fairly unstable Stack with a IOI drone hovering nearby you tended not to think of much. He barely moved, knowing that if the drone turned in his direction its infra-red camera would detect him no matter how well his natural camouflage worked.

He was starting to wish he had stayed in and slept instead of going out in an attempt to steal some more tech, his gloves had started short circuiting and he wasn't prepared to be at any more a disadvantage inside the OASIS. A voice in the back of his head chirped that he had already grown addicted, that he should cut it out now while he still could.

He shooed the thought away, and began crawling across the unstable structure as quietly as he could, holding his small bag of wires and circuits close to his chest. He dropped down to the level below him, swinging on a pipe to a balcony which he crawled beneath. Holding his breath as the IOI drone whirred past, he turned to the small window across from him, and froze.

A small child stood gaping, loose clothing three sizes too big, the visor clutched in her hand almost comically large.

"Shhh" he whispered quietly, attempting a weak grin as he crawled away, he heard her faintly whisper 'wow' as he teleported. He had a small smirk on his face until he reached his home, where he set about the tedious task of repairing the IOI gloves.

 **Parzival**

"So...do you think he was telling the truth?" H asked, leaning back into the couch. Nightcrawler had left a little over an hour ago, and that hour had been spent largely in silence as they browsed through files and audio clips from Halliday's journals.

"It's gotta be a spell, some sort of armour or enchantment" he answered, "Maybe something to do with the swords"

H snorted, "Dude you know that's not it" he flicked the screen he was viewing closed, "It was like he poofed out of the OASIS and back in"

He turned to H, "You believe him?", he let out a short laugh expecting H to respond in kind, "Stuff like that isn't possible outside of the OASIS, the whole reason the OASIS was built was because the outside sucked!"

"Keeping an open mind man" H said, "I mean people thought something like the OASIS was impossible, people thought the 'end of the world as we know it' was impossible"

"Yeah well we've got nothing to go off except Nightcrawler's word, and we barely know the guy" he argued, "Anyway, I'm logging off, see you tomorrow H"

"See you then Parzival" H's hulking avatar yawned, and both figures dissipated.

 **H**

She sat in bed, her visor and gloves resting on the table beside her. Her room was small, but fit a bed comfortably with a bit of room to spare, which was more than what most people got. Though she was tired, she couldn't help but think about what Nightcrawler had told them, and Parzival's reluctance to accept it as fact even if he appeared to do so to the blue avatars face.

Truth be told, the thought of something almost _magical_ occurring outside the OASIS made her feel hopeful, younger in a way. Like when she believed in the tooth-fairy, until times got too tough and her parents had to drop the charade. Not to say she wasn't skeptical, after all the OASIS was a place of smoke and mirrors and you could be fooled into thinking something was an ally until they turned on you in the middle of battle.

She turned away from where the visor sat watching her, begging her to go back, to be H instead of Helen.

Her eyes slowly closed, and she slipped away into dreams where the fought on Planet Doom, fearless and unbeatable.

But not as H, but as Helen.

 **Kurt**

He hissed as a small spark burnt jumped across the glove. The work was fiddly, delicate, and definitely not meant to be messed with by someone with only three fingers per hand and minimal knowledge on circuitry. Nevertheless, his memory served him well from his days observing them assembling the gloves, and though the smaller parts took numerous tries to get right he eventually finished. With the last piece sealed over, and with the intent only to rest his eyes, he fell asleep over his work where it was scattered across the floor.

That morning his joints ached, and it took over an hour of slowly moving and stretching before he felt back to his normal state. He took his time, eating his fill, before moving towards the visor.

H and Parzival would still be okay with his power a day after telling them...right?

 **A little jumpy and filler-y but it's something,**

 **I do have a plan for the next chapter...sorta**

 **anyway hope you enjoyed this, there may be another chapter up tomorrow or in a few weeks once holidays start**

 **Thank you to everyone who has stuck around :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh god it has been AGES since I've worked on this, honestly the hundreds of bot comments discouraged me but seeing there were reviews form actual people sorta gave me hope.**

 **Anyway, I'm back, and I'm going to try finish this story. (Famous last words)**

 **Fox boss – your wish is my command**

 **Bluedog44 – it has been almost two years I think since you were hoping for me to update this story soon…sorry about the wait.**

 **Either way, thank you both for your comments – they've made me re-realise my love for this story and I hope I can end it well.**

 **Kurt**

Kurt entered the OASIS with a nervous jump in his step, and it was only partially calmed when he saw H waiting in what had become their 'usual' spot.

He offered a smile, and Kurt returned it.

"Vhere's Parzival?" Kurt asked, rocking back and forth on his feet as hundreds of users milled around them and ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach.

"Decided to go browse the journals," H replied, and before Kurt could respond he held up a hand "I don't know if it has anything to do with what you told us, but I doubt it."

"Fair enough," the blue creature sighed, "vhat part of ze OASIS should ve travel to today?"

"There are a few more PvP and combat zones" there was a grin on H's voice, "They've got different rules and such, but I figured you'd want to see them"

"Ja, that'd be good," and a smile slowly grew on Kurt's face to match H, "and zank you for keeping my secret."

"The less IOI knows, the better." H snorted.

They went to leave, ease of conversation and friendship finally returning, only for the mood to be soured. A battalion of Sixers walked in unnerving uniformity, looking ever more like an army, and entered the race. It seemed everyone stopped to watch them, some with apathy and others with anger.

And some, like Kurt, with growing fear.

 **H**

When the Sixers dispersed H dragged Nightcrawler towards the portal leading to the PVP zone she had in mind.

"They're damn flies" She barked with a slight laugh as she watched the Sixers, and the demonic avatar pursed his lips.

"I'd liken them more to ticks," he eventually responded as they walked through the portal, "feeding off the life blood of this place and infecting it with disease."

H made to reply, but the pixels and noise as they were transported overtook her voice. She shook the ominous tone that Kurt had spoken with from her head, and instead grinned as she thought about what he would think of this new area.

Afterall, it'd be fitting for someone who liked to fight with older fashioned weapons.

"Leave them to their stupid race," she said elbowing him in the ribs as a green forest spread before us; the pixels rendering a scene more beautiful than anything that could exist in the real world. Dew seemed to hang in the air, and a soft fog thread itself through the trees and over the dirt paths.

On the distance, a stone castle rose.

"Welcome to Camelot" H smiled.

 **Parzival**

Scene after scene flicked in front of him, and his eyes scoured them for clues.

But for once, these clues he was looking for had nothing to do with the Hunt.

Halliday was a genius, and used the OASIS to make what the world was meant to be digitally by drawing from pop culture, history, magic and more. The OASIS was perfection, but it sprung from the real world and as such, maybe there was something…maybe…

He sighed and ran his hands through his lightly floating hair, he was clutching at straws. He was also putting off what he had come here to do.

He pulled up a search, and typed in Nightcrawler. When it prompted him to refine it, either to look for text, audio, or anything that could be a related visual, he selected all.

It took awhile to search, and when it did it returned a single scene; specifically a background detail that even with the highly rendered OASIS interface was only just more than a blur. It seemed to be an old poster of some sorts, barely kept together and black and white.

 _Sideshow Freaks; The Incredible Nightcrawler_

The image that accompanied was nothing more than a silhouette, with two white spots that served to give it menacing eyes. Bars drawn over it seemed to keep it from lunging out from the paper and devouring whoever was watching.

Parzival barely registered the audio that began playing;

"I want the OASIS to be a place that everyone can be themselves" Halliday's voice said, "Where they can be the selves they want to be, not just what they were born as"

Parzival squinted, and he could make out just a little more of what the creature looked like.

It's feet seemed bent backwards, and it's hands had only…

Tail…

Claws…

Parzival backed away slightly from the screen.

It had to be coincidence.

It had to be.

Just a coincidence.

Or maybe another clue or hint, because the OASIS was a game and everything counted towards winning it.

 **Kurt**

The new area was a change of pace from planet Doom. True there was still little skill, some had developed a proficiency in wielding a fake blade but they were self-taught at best and had a hundred errors in their form. Despite this, he enjoyed watching, especially in the joust.

He flinched when a lance broke and rained splinters on the crowd, when he saw H with a glint of mischief in his eyes as he watched a sword fight on the opposite side. A glowing figure was a constant in each battle, an NPC, with a glowing health bar above their head.

Their armour was regal, almost golden, and their blade glinted with a sharpness that in the real world would be enough to ward of any foolhardy enough to challenge.

"I zought I already proved my skill to you and Parzival," Kurt said, as another challenger dissolved into a shower of coins quickly picked up by the crowd like vultures.

"You did, but I also thought you'd want to win another sword" H replied, "defeat him and you become worthy of taking the sword from the stone"

The sword in question was every bit as grand as the legends had made it out to be, and it stood proudly surrounded by a forcefield a little behind the NPC.

"So I'm meant to believe no-one has von?" Kurt asked,

"Some people claim to," H answered shrugging, "and they say something glitched so it doesn't give you the prize even if you do."

"Zen vhy are people still trying?"

"Because nobody really thinks it's a glitch, and that you actually have to be worthy."

And before Kurt could ask more questions he was being pushed towards the fight by H, and was pushed into the combat zone by an eager crowd.

" _State your name, challenger"_

"Nightcrawler, and might I ask for yours?" Kurt said with an impish grin.

"King Arthur." and the NPC drew their sword.

 **H**

Once again Nightcrawlers skill astounded her, but now she could truly appreciate the mastery. He blocked and parried the King's blade with ease and made quick work of landing devastating blows onto any weak point he saw open.

The health bar above the NPC's head shrunk with each devastating blow, and the crowd half cheered and half booed as Nightcrawler somehow backflipped over an incoming swipe. They cheered for the talent, and booed because there were no coins to scrounge.

There was but one hit point left, and the NPC's movements were slow as pixelated blood dripped down their chainmail. It would barely even take a hit to finish it, but at the last moment Nightcrawler stopped.

"Do you yield?" The question seemingly sprang from nowhere, and it took a second for the NPC to find its correct response.

"Nay, I cannot for the sake of my kingdom!" and with a last desperate lunge it found itself stricken through the throat by Nightcrawlers blade. The clinical precision with which it was done unsettled her slightly, as did the resigned look on the demonic avatars face.

The NPC faded to pixels, and slowly reformed.

"You have won the sword in the stone! Please collect your prize!" Its voice was cheery, and the crowd watched the forcefield in anticipation. When it didn't drop, they yelled and booed more, and H joined for but a second when everyone fell silent.

Nightcrawler walked towards the NPC, and drew the sword it had fought with from the sheath.

"Congratulations on obtaining your prize! Upon your characters destruction it will return here once more!" The cheery voice announced, and the NPC along with the false sword faded into pixels.

Meanwhile, the sword in Nightcrawlers hand lost its strange sheen and now looked tangible and real.

H let out a whoop and ran to congratulate her friend.

"How did you figure it out dude?" she said excitedly, "Seriously you keep on destroying what I expect of you."

"Words have power," Nightcrawler laughed, pulling a humorously mystical expression, "one must listen to what is said and how."

"Next you'll be telling me you made a deal with the devil and learnt the hard way," H said, pulling the demonic creature into a one armed hug, before yelling to the crowd.

"Behold the new King of Camelot!" and she summoned a paper crown to sit on top of his head.

 **Parzival**

Parzival was quick to contact H, asking for their whereabouts in the OASIS.

"Listen H, I've found something you might want to see," he whispered harshly, though he needn't have bothered considering the crowd drowned out his and H's conversation, "if you can get here without blue it'll be best"

He saw H's pixelated face frown, and glance reluctantly back over his shoulder.

"I don't know what's gotten into your head…but fine, he can handle himself here well enough," his friend eventually responded, "especially with his disappearing trick."

"I'm at the journals." And with that Parzival ended the call.

It didn't take long for H to arrive, and when he did Parzival dragged him inside the archives and pulled up the scene he had found.

"I don't get it what are you trying to prove man?" H asked, squinting at the image, before slowly realising who it resembled. "Maybe he just saw it and decided it looked cool?"

"He didn't know about the Hunt, he only entered the OASIS a little while ago!" Parzival said, "He doesn't even care about the journals and if he did, why would he choose a random background detail that doesn't even have to do with the Hunt itself!"

"…you think he looks like his avatar in the real world…" and the OASIS's ability to pick up audio made the dryness and tension in H's voice all the more obvious.

Parzival nodded.

"And if he does look like that, then who's to say there aren't others."

 **Kurt**

The crowd had dispersed slightly, and he left the stone castle to wander into the forest. The sunlight filtered through the treetops, and he could almost feel it warming his fur.

What he wouldn't give to find a place like this in the real world, where he could find a nice place to curl up and sleep for eternity in. He could practically feel the soft grass underfoot, practically smell the sweet forest air.

He continued on his way until he reached a lake, and a small hovering message appeared above him warning that beyond the lake was classified as a PVP zone. Shooing it away, he sat next to the water and watched the reeds on the bank move back and forth in a fake breeze.

Kurt jumped more than he'd like to admit when a figure slowly rose from the water, wearing the familiar glow of an NPC.

"…Hello?" Kurt eventually asked, and the NPC met his eyes. It took the form of a woman, long hair and glowing eyes, with what might've been an ethereal beauty had she not been programmed by mortals.

"I am Nimue, Lady of the Lake, what brings you here adventurer?"

"Nothing but a vant for some peace," Kurt replied, "I am sorry to have disturbed you."

"You want no spells? No wishes to be grant? Nor the sword Excalibur?" It rattled off, and when Kurt shook his head, the NPC slowly moved to sit beside him and it's glow faded ever so slightly.

"Do you appear in the world as you appear in the mirror?" The question startled him, and he watched the glow fade a little more, it's hair stopped floating and its entire body grew more tangible.

"It depends, vhat do you count as ze vorld and vhat do you count as ze mirror?" Kurt eventually replied, tilting his head with a smile.

"You know what I mean clever imp," and the grin that grew on it's face was too real for it to be a program, "you are the part of the world the OASIS wishes it could be."

"These are dangerous vords you speak, Nimue, especially vhen there are ears everywhere," his voice trailed off when he slowly saw movement on the opposite side of the water, "if you reside in the stacks on the edge of freedom, find me vhere the gaping maw of ze remaining go to fill their gullet."

"Then I will see you there, but first I must ask you to destroy those who have come to seek me, for should they notice my leave we would be caught." And she raised a hand, slowly gaining its glow once more, towards the movement in the trees. When he nodded she flicked her hand, and his avatars clothes changed to black bloodstained armour that made him seem all the more demonic.

He grimaced as a knight wandered out.

Three swords, in reality he'd have held one in his tail and fought with all three at once, here he couldn't unless…

He had a spare glove.

It was slightly broken, but it'd work provided he could find it without removing his visor. With a silent prayer he sunk down to his hands and knees and crawled off the platform, realising all too well how ridiculous he looked in both reality and the OASIS. He scrambled around, Murd3r3r finally taking notice of him and beginning to stalk forwards around the lake. It seemed an eternity before he found the glove, and when he did he quickly threaded it onto his tail and hoped his idea would work as he shuffled back to the platform.

Summoning the sword in the stone, it was a miracle that the OASIS picked up the damaged glove and allowed him to wield his three weapons.

Much the knight's anger as he finally stopped at the threshold between the non-combat zone and the PVP zone.

"I will rid this land of your foul presence demon!" The words stung, more than Kurt thought they would, but he had to appreciate how wholeheartedly the player seemed to take his role.

But you couldn't be hurt here, not really, so Kurt grinned and snarled.

Words couldn't hurt if it was just a game, and holding onto that mentality as best as he could and driven by the hope that there would be another like him, he danced past the threshold.

Their blades met with a shower of sparks and shrill shriek.

"Vhat is your name, opponent?" He asked through gritted teeth, either his opponent was strong in reality, or had some sort of buff that allowed him to just be able to hold equal to the demonic mutant.

"Deathdefyer," a voice growled from behind the metal helmet, "and I have never lost a battle."

"Nightcrawler," Kurt replied, parrying a swing and then jabbing with his tail as he spun to block another attack, "vould it be foolish of me to ask if you vant to yield?"

He received no reply but an obvious swing down onto his head, and though it no doubt had the brute force to cleave his arm from his body both in and out of the OASIS he quickly flipped to the side. Dropping down he swept at the knights cumbersome form, and Deathdefyer landed on his rear with a loud clank.

Quickly standing, he used the tip of his new sword to knock off the knights helmet by levering it through the eye-slit; something that brought the sharp edge unnervingly close to his opponents digital eyes.

He pressed the sword in his right hand against where his opponents jugular would have been, were he not a digital avatar.

"I ask again, do you yield?" He asked, "Or would you rather we both withdraw?"

The avatars head sunk in defeat, his pride wounded but not to the point where he would risk his coin. He reluctantly took Kurt's hand as he helped him up.

"You fight dirty, demon." His opponent said as he picked up his helmet, "Next time we meet I will walk away victorious." He looked towards the lake.

"Where is the lady of the lake?" Deathdefyer asked, realising the absence of the glowing figure exiting the water. Turning towards Kurt, he saw him make a shush moment.

Kurt went to respond, but several sixers walked from the trees and he made quick work to draw the knight back over to the non PVP zone. They looked out of place in the greenery, and Kurt began to understand and feel the intensity of distain many other must've felt towards them. Not just the gunters, but those who embrace the different parts of the OASIS only to have the illusion of peace shattered.

"What do you think of them?" Kurt asked, ignoring Deathdefyers previous enquiry.

"Sixers? A good reminder not to go into debt," Deathdefyer snorted, glaring at both him and the IOI servants, "I just keep hoping they don't win this place, because they'll make debt unavoidable."

Kurt pondered for a moment, yes he would meet Nimue in the real world but then what? In truth he was living day to day with little to do, and the OASIS had given him something. An addictive normalcy and escape, and perhaps it had begun to make him complacent.

"Where are they based in the real world?"

Even though he was once again wearing his helmet, Kurt could vividly see the confusion Deathdefyer's face must've worn, but he still replied with the location of their main centre of operations.

"Thank you, I look forward to our next bout." Kurt nodded in thanks and began walking away back towards Camelot.

"Wait but where's the lady of the lake?" Deathdefyer yelled out at his retreating form.

"At another lake, not sure which but not zis one!" Kurt yelled back, before sprinting away and changing his clothes back to what they were and smiling at the addition of armour to his inventory.

He had plans and goals for the real world, it was truly made and he couldn't understand why he should attempt something so foolhardy.

Taking on an entire organisation? Madness! Idiocy!

But maybe…it'd give the gunters a better change to look and understand the clues, win the competitions without having to avoid IOI's cannon fodder.

He sent off a quick message to Parzival and H, asking them to meet him back in their usual place.

He needed to tell them his plans, and see if they were really as insane as he thought.

 **Long chapter to hopefully make up for my absence, aiming to finish the story in the next few chapters :D**


End file.
